After greater than 15 months on the sidelines, former undisputed Tremendous Welterweight champ Josh Taylor returns to motion this Saturday when he battles onetime unified Light-weight titlist Teofimo Lopez at Madison Sq. Backyard.
The ESPN/ESPN+ doubleheader may also see blue chip Tremendous Welterweight prospect Xander Zayas face Ronald Cruz in his first battle of 2023, although the primary occasion is doing all of the heavy lifting. Let’s take a look at it.
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Josh “The Tartan Twister” Taylor
Age: 32Record: 19-0 (13 KO) Final 5 Fights: Jack Catterall (SD), Jose Ramirez (UD), Apinun Khongsong (KO-1), Regis Prograis (MD), Ivan Baranchyk (UD)Important Victories (aside from these talked about above): Viktor Postol, Miguel Vazquez, Ohara Davies
Picture by Mikey Williams/Prime Rank by way of Getty Photos
Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez
Age: 25Record: 18-1 (13 KO)Final 5 Fights: Sandor Martin (SD), Pedro Campa (TKO-7), George Kambosos Jr. (UD Loss), Vasiliy Lomachenko (UD), Richard Commey (TKO-2)Important Victories (aside from these talked about above): Masayoshi Nakatani, Diego Magdaleno
Had this bout taken place between Could and November of 2021, it might be the discuss of the city. Taylor had simply dropped Jose Ramirez twice en path to turning into undisputed Tremendous Light-weight champion, whereas Lopez wasn’t far faraway from an unfathomable upset of Vasiliy Lomachenko for unified Light-weight glory.
Suffice it to say, each males have misplaced a little bit of luster since. Taylor badly underwhelmed in a controversial cut up determination over Jack Catterall in 2022, kicking off an extended and sordid stretch that noticed him drop three of his 4 titles, withdraw from the scheduled rematch attributable to damage, after which ditch it totally in favor of preventing Lopez. “The Takeover,” in the meantime, misplaced his belts to George Kambosos Jr. earlier than a transfer to 140 kilos noticed him knock out Pedro Campa and win a vastly questionable determination of his personal over Sandor Martin.
It’s powerful to inform the place these two stand in the intervening time. Taylor insisted after the Catterall battle that he’d outgrown the division, and although he finally went again on his phrase, there’s no telling whether or not he can nonetheless compete at peak kind as a Tremendous Light-weight. Equally, it’s a standing query as as to if the velocity and energy that made Lopez so fearsome at 135 can overwhelm naturally bigger males.
Assuming each enter the ring in peak situation, I favor Taylor based mostly on his superior physique of labor, technical potential, and expertise with heavy-handed sluggers. Although we’re unlikely to see that, I nonetheless suppose Taylor takes it; as poor as he regarded in opposition to Catterall, a nasty weight minimize and a nasty recreation plan are fixable. No matter’s ailing Lopez isn’t, not less than not together with his present mindset. He appears to teeter between unflappable vanity and straight-up delusion to the purpose the place he’s evaluating himself to Jesus.
I can see Taylor getting again within the gymnasium and tweaking his strategy. I can’t see Lopez doing the identical.
So long as Taylor in all fairness intact after the minimize to 140, it’s his battle to lose. He’s received the instruments to each outbox Lopez and overpower him in a slugfest; Lopez must completely thread the needle to emerge victorious, and contemplating his incapacity to regulate in opposition to the likes of Kambosos and Martin, that’s not occurring. Taylor soundly outclasses Lopez over 12.
Prediction: Taylor def. Lopez by way of unanimous determination
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